Featured Repair Shops : Where Are They Now?

Over the past few months eTech Parts has taken you on a behind the scenes look into the lives of several business owners to share life stories and find out what it takes to successfully operate an electronic device repair shop. These amazing and inspiring stories are proof that commitment and hard work in the repair industry can take people to limits they never thought they’d reach. We spoke with Hayden Faison, owner of Quick Fix iPhone Repair in Daphne, AL; Garry Schumacher, owner of iDoctor in Minnesota; John Lochert, owner of Lil’ Johnny Appleseed in Kansas City, MO; and Jess Canady, store manager of FavGeek in Decatur, AL. We checked back in with everyone for an update on how business is going and growing – and it’s growing fast! The stories below are amazing in the fact that most of these developments have happened in less than six months. This is no get-rich-quick pyramid scheme; this is simply the aftereffect of hard work and determination.

Garry is settling in nicely at his second location, and business is going great! Recently he added a mobile division to his company and is gradually shifting some of his focus to developing the third tier of his business. While he sets the plans in motion, he mentioned, “If nothing else right now it has been an fantastic vehicle for advertising.” No pun intended? Garry Schumacher is quite the success story; eTech Parts has enjoyed watching his business grow over the years and we look forward to being his trusted partner for many more to come.

“The past two months have been the most successful months for me and my business. I had no plans to open up a storefront but I found a space that was 2000 square feet – more than enough – at the beginning of July. One of the main reasons that I decided to get a brick and mortar store was the low risk investment of the unit that I am leasing and the storage space that comes with it. Now I’m spending a little more than I would driving nearly 100-150 miles a day running around my area. Also, I have so much more time to be more productive and I’m able to take on more repairs instead of meeting my customers then driving another 20 minutes to meet the next one. It’s a little early to say how impactful my storefront will be on my overall revenue but I am already loving the decision I made and I’m looking forward to seeing where I’m at in 12 months.”

A: The original 15×15 office I had was quickly closing in on me. Between all of the parts I keep in stock, the equipment waiting for repair, the repaired equipment waiting to be picked up, customer visits and the additional tech staff, things were getting very crowded – very quickly. I had looked at several storefronts before choosing the space I’m now in. As I shopped around for somewhere to expand my operation, everywhere I looked reminded me of the childhood story “Goldilocks.” Of all the places I looked at, they were either too large, or too small. When I found this spot, I realized that it was just right. Location was a key factor in my selection of where to move my company. The place that I’m in is only 11 blocks north of my former location. It is on a main drag, next to a very busy QuikTrip and has plenty of parking. Additionally, I’m still just minutes from downtown and less than 20 minutes from anywhere in Kansas City’s Northland.

Q: How does it feel having your own space?

A: It is very rewarding. I feel very proud when customers, past and present come by and comment on what a step up my company has taken. It’s also more responsibility. Everyone always comments on how nice it must be to be your own boss. I just have to shrug off those comments because honestly, I put in more work and more hours now than I ever did as someone else’s employee. It is rewarding in the sense that given the pathetic state of the economy, somehow I seem to be keeping my head above water. I haven’t been able to grow this company to this degree all by myself. I’ve had a lot of help from my friends, family and customers referring me on to their friends and family. I’ve also been very lucky to form great working relationships with other tech companies and parts suppliers – including eTech Parts.

FavGeek has taken quite a few steps forward since the last time I spoke with store manager Jess Canady. They have recently launched a new marketing campaign called “The Pentalobe Twins,” which will be featured on four digital billboards in the Decatur area. They’ve recently started offering iPhone 5 repairs, which has been extremely successful – they can barely keep the parts on the shelves! In addition to their original retail location, they’ve recently acquired an executive office space to use for corporate administrative work, marketing, ordering, networking, and much, much more!